Looking at Honey Extractors

[swampcat]

Looking at honey extractors this morning, there are 3, 10 frame hives on the property now..

We probably will be going to pull honey soon, Any advice on extractors would be appreciated..

[bk]

Jul 3, 2017 7:11:38 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Looking at honey extractors this morning, there are 3, 10 frame hives on the property now..

We probably will be going to pull honey soon, Any advice on extractors would be appreciated..

Swampcat, I'd take a look at where you want to be in the number of hives in 5 years and have that play into your decision.  Three hives can be done with a two frame hand crank extractor - slow and arm tiring unless you can Tom Sawyer kids into cranking.
Is there a club or fellow beek near you?  Around here most clubs own an extractor or two for members to use, or go in partners with a fellow beek.  Cheaper way to get a good unit at half the cost.  Craig List has some pop up from time to time, but they don't last long.
Neighbor has two hives and runs a four frame electric - he extracts four times each year.  My partner owns a 20 frame electric and that will be great for our future needs - until we get a few hundred hives.    (I think not - hard to keep up with what we have!)  We typically only extract once a year.
Let us know what you decide.

[swampcat]

Jul 4, 2017 9:07:10 GMT -5 bk said:

Jul 3, 2017 7:11:38 GMT -5 swampcat said:

Looking at honey extractors this morning, there are 3, 10 frame hives on the property now..

We probably will be going to pull honey soon, Any advice on extractors would be appreciated..

Swampcat, I'd take a look at where you want to be in the number of hives in 5 years and have that play into your decision.  Three hives can be done with a two frame hand crank extractor - slow and arm tiring unless you can Tom Sawyer kids into cranking.
Is there a club or fellow beek near you?  Around here most clubs own an extractor or two for members to use, or go in partners with a fellow beek.  Cheaper way to get a good unit at half the cost.  Craig List has some pop up from time to time, but they don't last long.
Neighbor has two hives and runs a four frame electric - he extracts four times each year.  My partner owns a 20 frame electric and that will be great for our future needs - until we get a few hundred hives.    (I think not - hard to keep up with what we have!)  We typically only extract once a year.
Let us know what you decide.

Thanks BK

I was thinking on the short term, but thats great advice to think more on the long term and where it may lead.

I was at first planning on about 30 hives long term, but have reconsidered that somewhat, I am thinking more of whats in my area as far as neighbors and their activities.. I have about 25 acres here but even with the few hives I have here, I see that already the bees are visiting the neighbors.. This is not a agricultural area but I am concerned with pesticides used in local gardens, and my own.. I've seen what I think is a pesticide die off in one hive, but the hive survived.. My mentors do have a two frame extractor and are bringing it over to extract sometime this month.. so for now I will work with what they have and take the time to look for a deal..

Thanks

[bk]

Understand your concerns for building the apiary, swampcat.  I'm in a rural area, surrounded by corn and soybeans.  Plenty of pesticides and herbicides and see their impact on my ladies.  Have been lucky so far and haven't lost a hive to the pesticides yet.  Were your bees dead at the hive, or did the numbers go down markedly.  Sick bees tend to leave the hive to die - helps keep the rest of the hive healthy.  Chemical issues are hare to prove without expensive lab work.

Your bees wil travel as far as they need to for pollen and nectar.  Average is about 2 miles and that puts them on about 2000 acres of forage.  If they fly four miles then they now have over 32,000 acres.  They go where they find the best forage.  Almost impossible to keep them out of the neighbors if that is where they want to be.  I have mine behind a row of pines that generally sends them in directions other than my neighbor, but they still visit.  A bottle of honey helps neighbor relations a great deal.

Sounds like you are in good shape extractor wise, at this time.  A good deal will show up or as you get bigger, you'll take the plunge as needed.  

Enjoy the journey.

[swampcat]

Jul 4, 2017 22:20:42 GMT -5 bk said:

Understand your concerns for building the apiary, swampcat.  I'm in a rural area, surrounded by corn and soybeans.  Plenty of pesticides and herbicides and see their impact on my ladies.  Have been lucky so far and haven't lost a hive to the pesticides yet.  Were your bees dead at the hive, or did the numbers go down markedly.  Sick bees tend to leave the hive to die - helps keep the rest of the hive healthy.  Chemical issues are hare to prove without expensive lab work.

Your bees wil travel as far as they need to for pollen and nectar.  Average is about 2 miles and that puts them on about 2000 acres of forage.  If they fly four miles then they now have over 32,000 acres.  They go where they find the best forage.  Almost impossible to keep them out of the neighbors if that is where they want to be.  I have mine behind a row of pines that generally sends them in directions other than my neighbor, but they still visit.  A bottle of honey helps neighbor relations a great deal.

Sounds like you are in good shape extractor wise, at this time.  A good deal will show up or as you get bigger, you'll take the plunge as needed.  

Enjoy the journey.

Yeah on the die off, I just got a lot of dead bees thrown out of the hive.. the ground was covered with them.
the hive is strong it seems. I haven't opened it up theres always lots of activity in that hive. I'll open it up soon to check for honey..